Wide Open Spaces
by JamesSunderlandsPillow
Summary: Leni makes a new friend online, and their relationship blossoms into something special. (One Shot, Cheni, I do not own The Loud House).


"Are you sure you've got everything? Food? Water?"

"Dad, I double checked."

"Please, for Blarney's sake, did you take a car charger for your phone?"

"Mom, I went and bought one. And another when I realized the first one wouldn't work."

It's been this way for a few hours now. Rita and Lynn Loud Sr. Have been asking question after question about their daughter's upcoming road trip.

"Did you book the hotel properly?"

"Did you plan for gas stops?"

"Did you remember how crazy this sounds?"

Yeah, she remembered. It's just that she doesn't care. She had to go to him. She had to _see_ him.

For several months now, Leni had been talking to a certain someone. He was smart, funny, was into similar, interesting things…

They'd talk for hours throughout the day. Sometimes about small things, sometimes about important things.

And here lately, they'd been talking about… _personal_ things… _Intimate_ things.

And she's never even seen him in person.

Yes, Leni Loud was good friends with Chaz. However, their only means of communication have been through smartphones, tablets, and computers. He did live across state lines, after all.

It all started when Leni decided to start posting a blog on her favorite Vampires of Melancholia ship. 'Luaggie,' the kids call the pairing. After a few days of posting, Chaz started his trend of commenting with every new post, deviating from the usual one sentence shallow praises in favor of well thought out paragraphs offering both honest, meaningful feedback and actual constructive criticism.

After a long enough while of treading the waters, Leni got the courage to ask him if she could message him casually, to which he gladly accepted. _Thousands_ of message threads later, she finally mustered the courage to take things a little further, asking if she could call him on the phone.

" _I hope he doesn't sound too cringey,"_ she told herself as her heart pounded faster than the phone could ring.

"Hello?" he answered.

" _Oh gosh. His voice is hot!"_ she ecstatically realized.

Although she expected their first time actually speaking to one another to be totes awkward, it wasn't so bad. It only got easier with every subsequent phone call, and the first time she got a full laugh out of him made all of the struggles worth it.

The next logical step was to chat over a webcam… Which… proved to be strenuous. First, because she wasn't astute enough to work a webcam on her own, she had to enlist the help of her other siblings, which of course meant she had to tell them what she was using it for.

Needless to say… They meddled.

"This is literally the most romantic thing ever!"

"Dude, I'm gonna write a song about this!"

"Hey! Then you can put it on the web for people to chat about it! Hahaha, get it?"

"Is he into sports? Are you sure you're not being catfished?"

"Is he into Ace Savvy? What about King of the Rings?"

"Sigh… The fact that our show brought you guys together makes me almost forget that we're hurtling towards an oblivion…"

"I bet he smells weird!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing?!"

"It's quite fascinating that the two of you were able to form such a rapport using only social media. It's even more fascinating that you were able to do so under my nose. I'll have to upgrade the internet surveillance."

"Poo poo!"

The moment of truth arrived soon enough.

"Are you nervous?" Lori asked Leni as she sat at her desk, preparing to start the call.

"Yeah…" Leni simply said, feeling her heart beat faster and harder with every passing second.

"It's gonna be fine. Just you see," she said to Leni before directing her attention to the other nine children in the room, all of whom were smiling like idiots as they hovered over Leni's shoulders.

"Guys," Lori sharply told them with a glower, which was enough to get them to ixnay on the eepcray.

As the oldest Loud made her leave, she turned back with a soft smile. "It's gonna be fine. Good luck," she said with thumbs-up before gently closing the door.

Leni took a deep breath, then clicked the 'call' button. "Okay…"

She waited… and waited… and waited…

Until a new face popped up on her monitor. He was a freckled, red haired boy wearing a blue snapback. He was a little portly, but, all things considered…

He was a cutie.

And he had a great smile. "Hey!..." he keenly greeted upon seeing the girl on the other end of the connection.

"Hi!..." Leni greeted back, feeling like she could melt into the chair.

"Wow… You're really pretty," Chaz blubbered before realizing he said that out loud, which made Leni giggle into her hands. "Sorry."

"Don't be," she gladly responded.

From there, things went swimmingly. It was a little embarrassing when the other Loud siblings, who of course had all leaned up against the door to eavesdrop, came crashing in; but it was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect night.

Now, things weren't always so great. There were days where he wouldn't text until very late in the evening- if at all. She'd try to tell herself that he was just busy, and that he had his own life, but it was still upsetting not to hear from him for so long. Sometimes they'd take each other's words the wrong way, and would make things worse when they tried to explain themselves. And every now and then, they'd have the worst problem of all…

Running out of things to talk about.

Even so, they'd always find a way to come back to form stronger than before. The talks would get longer, the topics would get deeper…

The feelings would get stronger.

One fateful night, they were talking on the phone.

"You seem kind of quiet tonight," Chaz expressed. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah… I'm fine…" Leni glumly answered. Which of course meant that she was _not_ fine.

"Hey. If something's wrong, you know you can talk to me, right?"

She sighed before beginning. "It's just… We've been talking for such a long time now, and I'm really starting to feel a connection with you…"

"I- I'm glad you feel that way."

"That's just the thing though! Even though we talk like, all the time…"

She hesitates.

"Leni?"

…

She takes a deep breath before starting again.

"Chaz, I want to meet you. Like, in person."

"Wow. Uhm, okay. Maybe we could arrange that someday."

"No, not someday. I mean like, as soon as possible. I've been thinking a lot about this lately."

"Really?"

"Totes. Okay, so, I could have Lori drive me there, and I could have my parents help me with like, finding a place to stay while I'm up there and stuff. I can get a job and start saving up money-"

"It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this."

"I have."

There was a moment of silence as the boy took some time to digest what she was telling him, and she used the moment to put the phone down and scream into a fluffy pillow.

When she picked the phone back up…

"Leni?"

"I'm here."

…

"I- I want to meet you too. Anything you wanna try, I'll be happy to do it."

"You mean it?!"

"Totes. Anything for you."

She smiled wide at that.

…

...

A few weeks of odd jobs like sewing clothes and being an assassin (She was role-playing. It's a long story) later, and she had saved up enough money to make the trip to his hometown of Lodautoma via route 16. It will be a day's drive, but she is more than willing to make it for her best friend. And Lori is more than willing to help her.

And actually, _everyone_ seems willing to help.

Or at least go on a road trip.

"Come on, dudes!" Luna begged her older sister and parents. "We'll all be cool!"

"Yeah! We won't _trip_ up! We'll have the _ride_ attitude! Hahaha!"

Luna shoots Luan a look that says, _Not helping._

The parents exchange thoughtful looks before rolling their eyes to one another. "Alright… _Fine…"_ Rita tells them. "But you all will be on your absolute _best_ behavior!"

"Darn _ride_ you will. See what I did there? Eh, eh?" he jokes to Luan, "But seriously. You'll all do whatever Lori tells you to do."

The Loud children all cheer before hurrying inside to pack for the trip.

"I guess I'll call Chaz and tell him we'll be a little behind schedule," Leni says with a smile.

Rita and Lynn smile to one another as they feel those warm, proud parent feelings coursing through their maternal and paternal veins.

Until the tot in Rita's arms decides to let herself be heard. "Poo Poo! POO POO!" she crossly tells them, which of course translates to, _I want to go, too!_

The mother and father contemplate it, and…

A few hours later, everyone is asleep as Rita tries to help Lynn with directions.

"Don't take the next exit, it's the one after that."

"I know, _Albert,"_ he quips back, earning him a frown.

Meanwhile, the only Loud sibling left awake is the girl responsible for this commute. Leni sits alongside the window, staring out as she listens to music on her smartphone.

 _*She needs wide open spaces, room to make her big mistakes… She needs new faces, she knows the high stakes…*_

All the while, she daydreams of what it will be like when she finally arrives there. They'll pull up to driveway, she'll make her way to his door, he'll come out… And they'll wrap each other in the tightest, happiest hugs that they possibly can. And maybe, _just maybe…_ Maybe they'll take it a step even further…

* * *

Several hours on the road later, and no mishaps involving cherry farmers or prison buses later, (they still sang Road Trippin' Blues for the heck of it though), and the Loud family has made it across state lines. The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and perhaps most amazing of all, every Loud has a smile on their face. Of course, with every passing moment after checking into their hotel, there's an ever growing anxiety.

Especially for Leni.

Despite _much_ protest from her ten siblings, she soon takes off with Lynn Sr. to go meet her beau alone. He drives to the address Chaz provided them, and soon reaches walking distance of his quaint suburban home.

"You know, Len; I know we all give you flack sometimes," Lynn Sr. says to begin one his good ol' fashioned dad talks. "But you know we all love you, right?"

"I know. I love you too dad," she softly says to him.

Finally, they pull into the driveway of their destination. The pounding in Leni's poor heart is the heaviest it's ever been, and she worries the sweat on her brow might soon be enough to make her hair friz.

But she doesn't care. She did it. No matter what happens, she did what so many people all over the world every day could only dream of doing, and that itself is a victory.

Even so, the journey has just begun. Once Chaz opens that door to reveal himself, everything changes. She'll know his scent, she'll feel his touch, and the illusion she had made for him will be shattered in favor of the real, genuine boy behind those screens and keyboards.

And he may not be who she wants him to be. The conversation could be scarce, and the nice, funny things he says to her may cease. She may not get to hear that laugh of his she's grown to love.

Then again, he may prove to be worth all the miles, and maybe so much more.

"Are you ready for this?" Lynn Sr. asks his daughter as they idle in the driveway.

"I think I am," Leni answers after sending a text to Chaz letting him know she's arrived.

"Hey, I'm proud of you. I just wanted you to know that," her father then tells her with a comforting hand on the shoulder.

She smiles at this, then takes a deep breath as she prepares to exit the vehicle.

Every step feels gargantuan. It's like her world moves in slow motion as she and Mr. Loud make their way to the front door of the home.

Then, in what almost feels too sudden, she notices that door creaking open, and familiar face stepping out into the daylight.

Chaz looks to her with doe eyes before softly smiling to her, and belatedly, she does the same.

"Hi," he weakly says to her.

"Hi," she simply says back.

And for a moment, they just gaze to one another, taking a moment to accept that this is actually happening, and that they're actually here together.

And finally, Leni takes the initiative to run into his arms, and they wrap each other in the tightest, happiest hugs they can muster. She laughs all the while because she's so happy.

"I'm here! I'm really here!" she gladly cries.

"Yeah, yeah you are," Chaz simply, happily says as they release one another to meet each other's eyes again.

After some time to lose each other in their eyes again, Chaz coughs into his hand to try and hide how he's blushing.

"Uhm, would you guys like to come inside?" he says to his friend and her father.

She looks back to him, and he tries to quickly wipe away the tear falling from his eye to put on a manly front.

"Uhm, yes. Yes, we would appreciate that," he answers.

She looks back to Chaz, who with a smile invites the girl to take his hand.

A warm feeling comes over her, the most wonderful she's ever known, as she can't help but just stare at it. _"It's real. This is really happening,"_ she keeps repeating to herself over and over again in her head.

And, with a smile of her own, she takes his hand, and together, they make their way inside.

* * *

 **I got the title for this from the Dixie Chicks. Live to Dixie Chicks, fam.**

 **I've been wanting to write this for a while, but I just had so many other projects going on, and real life would get in the way, and, well… I was low key terrified to actually write the thing for personal reasons XD. But during my last spurt of 4AM motivation to take on the world, I decided it was finally time, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.**

 **I've always liked the pairing of Cheni, and I decided that, since I've already written for my other two favorite Louds: Luna and Luan, that I needed to do something starring Leni. I also wanted to rub in a certain Guest reviewer's face that I CAN write about heterosexual pairings, so choke on my fluffy pillow you little~**

 **I mean… I hope you enjoyed it:D**

 **I know this kind of ended abruptly, and maybe reads fast in general, but I really didn't think I could've made it much more interesting past the last scene. It's probably better that I just let you all use your imagination for where the two youngsters' lives go after this, because I'd probably end up churning out a bunch of crap if I pressed any further.**

 **Anyway, thanks to all you who read this, and to those of you continue to show me support. It really means a lot. Hopefully we'll all hear each other again sooner than later:)**

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